Mel Gibson isn’t a good guy. He’s also a really talented director. This kind of sucks because it’s hard to watch his stuff without being sick with yourself for watching his stuff. I’m running into that problem after watching the trailer for Hacksaw Hill. It looks fantastic, but it’s Gibson’s first directorial effort since Apocolypto 10 years ago.
It’s based off a true story, as Hollywood do. Desmond Doss refused to bear arms during WWII, but ended up saving 75 men during the bloodiest battle of the war. With Andrew Garfield tackling the role the movie is already getting Oscar buzz, though it’s yet to be seen if Hollywood has forgiven Gibson yet so Garfield’s reportedly strong performance may not bleed over into nods for Gibson… which is a good thing.
The movie will debut in a prestigious spot at the Venice Film Festival next month so we’ll know then whether it can stand up to they hype.
